Not yet named travel entry: Bayou City and Treasures from Ancient Eygpt

I have visited Houston on a few occasions, but I never really explored the place.  The first time I was stuck out in the suburbs of Humble and my returns to the Space City have had me out in the Galleria area for the day or two that I was working.  This time, I was able to drive around and see more of the city and get to be a part of the daily life.

The monument at its full height

I won’t claim to understand H-town.  Without a guide, I couldn’t find the bustling downtown area.  Yet, I can drive to the Galleria area from the airport blindfolded and I did find the lovely Museum District, around Bissonnet Street.  After a delicious crawfish po’boy lunch at Calliope's Po-Boy, I headed out to the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site, leaving the 610 loop eastward toward La Porte, Texas.

After the twenty mile drive from lunch, I turned off the highway and drove down Independence Parkway, through massive drum-shaped oil containers and the Texas-themed banners.  Off in the distance, I could spy the large column monument as I noticed scenes of the Texas War of Independence painted on the sides of the containers.

I arrived that the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site. The site commemorates battle of San Jacinto which after the Battle of the Alamo and “Runaway Scrape” in Washington-on-the-Brazos cemented Texas’ independence from Mexico.

Sam Houston and his poorly trained Texans were at a strategic loss after these military defeats and could not continue against General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, the President of Mexico, and his troops without an advantage.

Advantageously, Houston and his men arrived at Buffalo Bayou around the location where the loop 610 currently crosses the waterway.  There they learned that Santa Anna was camping further downstream, separate from the bulk of the Mexican army, and Houston and the Texas troops were able to capture Mexican provisions to provide desperately needed supplies.

A close up looking up the column

Upon his arrival at nearby San Jacinto, Santa Anna tried to draw the Texans into battle and subsequently learned that Houston’s men outnumber his after a few skirmishes that night. Then began a few days of psychiatric warfare – Houston played a waiting game with Santa Anna – the Mexican troops were tired from staying up all night to be prepared for a Texan attack at first light which never happened.  In turn, Houston’s men rested and ate up for strength.

After three days on April 21, 1836, about 500 more Mexican troops arrived in the morning, Houston sent men to destroy a bridge to delay any reinforcements. That afternoon Houston assembled his troops and sprung the frontal assault using the element of surprise, while two other group of Texans flanked the Mexican camp. The Texans advanced to within 300 yards of the Mexicans before they hollered "Remember Goliad! Remember the Alamo!" and the battle ensued. By the end of the day, Houston was wounded and nine Texans and 630 Mexicans died or were mortally wounded.  Houston had handed Santa Anna a tremendous defeat, though the Mexican President had managed to escape. Not risking Santa Anna’s regrouping with the remaining Mexican army, Houston sent out scouts and they captured the President who was disguised as a private by noon the following day.  With his capture, Santa Anna ordered his troops to withdraw from Texas, securing independence for the Republic of Texas.

Today, at the battle site, the over 567-foot high column stands to commemorate this decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. It is the world's tallest monumental column and is home to the San Jacinto Museum of History, which focuses on the history of the Battle of San Jacinto and Texas culture and heritage. The monument has an observation deck located immediately below the 220-ton Lone Star of Texas which offers northern, western and southern view including vistas of Houston, the USS Texas and the Houston Ship Channel.

Outside the MFAH

However, Texas history was not the impetus for my visit; the main drive behind my travel was the King Tut exhibit in town.

Harrison Ford welcomes you with a narration introducing Tutankhamun - the Golden King and the Great Pharaohs. Anxious and excited, I can’t wait for the reveal.  After Ford’s preamble, the exhibit is opened to us and we enter in awe.

Hours before I sat in a lecture with David Silverman, the Eckley Brinton Coxe, Jr. Professor of Egyptology and Curator of Penn Museum's Egyptian Section.  He is one of the leading authorities on ancient Egypt and its civilization.  Dr. Silverman was the national curator, advisor, and academic content creator for the blockbuster exhibition "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, ” and he was also responsible for the curatorial content in the original 1977 "Treasures of Tutankhamun.” This man knows his Egyptology.

He addressed the small group of us on work as the curator of Tutankhamun - the Golden King and the Great Pharaohs and we followed onto his an additional lecture about the Curse of the Pharaohs.  His thought and grand scheme that went into planning the exhibit was beyond compare.  While it’s obvious that a great exhibit has a compelling story and good layout, this was an extraordinary exhibit.  The attention to detail was impressive. 

This is the behemoth statue

The entrance into the show with Ford’s monologue set up the anticipation.  The open space of the exhibit lends to better maneuvering throughout the exhibition and having 360° of access to the items, like being able to examine the backside's hieroglyphics, adds a richer dimension.  The presentation of the artifacts staged in position alludes to the design and the interior of the tomb.  The exhibition is a voyage from Egypt’s pharaonic history to the contents of Tutankhamun’s final resting place.

The division of the show between the accounts of Tutankhamun’s father, Amenhotep IV (later Akhenaten) through to Pharaohs beyond and the drama of entering Tut’s tomb to learn about the phenomenal articles found in the burial chamber is set up by Bill Kurtis’ exhilarating reading that represent you virtually with the sixteen steps into Tut’s tomb.

The exhibit hosts many wonders from ancient Egypt including a behemoth statue of Tutankhamun standing about 17 feet tall from his tomb (that eerily looks like Michael Jackson a la "Remember the Time."); King Tut’s golden sandals; the funerary mask of Psusennes I, an amazingly detailed golden mask covering the head, chest and shoulders of the mummy of Psusennes; and the collar of Princess Neferuptah, a wide collar of 6 rows of alternating feldspar and carnelian beads finished with two falcon head fastens discovered on the body of Neferuptah, daughter to Amenhotep III.

Funerary mask of Psusennes I

 After seeing these remarkable artifacts, the exhibit finishes with a replica of King Tut’s mummy.  National Geographic, a partner in the exhibition, displays the science behind the show.  Medical doctors have examined his mummy extensively and diagnosed him with a litany of maladies including an under bite, a club foot and fracture below the knee.  The break in his leg has led some scientist to postulate that a blood infection due to poor healing may have caused his demise.

While the mysteries of Tut may have not all be answered, the treasure of Golden King and the Great Pharaohs leave an indelible mark on the visitor.

Tutankhamun pictures courtesy of Dr. David Silverman. 

Freeform Forum: My comments on the Trayvon Martin case

I had a conversation with a colleague yesterday about the Trayvon Martin case.  It got very heated and not because we disagree.  It was about the anger that we have about the case.

There are two very different points that came out of our conversation: the sense of injustice that George Zimmerman is not police custody and the ever present issue of race in our country.

Regardless of the state of innocence of George Zimmerman, he should be charged with a crime and in police custody.  He did shoot Trayvon Martin and that shooting lead to George killing Trayvon.  Therefore there is nothing in the law that would prevent the authorities from detaining Zimmerman.  Habeas corpse wouldn’t apply here, since there IS enough evidence to support that Zimmerman killed Trayvon.  However, there is not enough evidence to me that Zimmerman was “standing his ground,” and I am outraged that he is not in custody.

Earlier this week, I tweeted “@irishwombat: thinks #Zimmerman 's ‘virtually lost his life’ http://t.co/yaNyVn8P is as bad as #BP CEO Tony Hayward's ‘I'd like my life back.’ #Trayvon.” The link is from Good Morning America.  George Stephanopoulos interviews Joe Oliver, a family friend of Zimmerman.  Oliver calls for prosecutors investigating to release all the evidence in the case to silence cries for Zimmerman's arrest, and suggests that because of the growing controversy surrounding the case "George has virtually lost his life, too."  George hasn’t virtually lost his life; he is waking up each morning, breathing, eating, talking with friends and family and gone into hiding.  That’s not death; that’s self-imposed cowardly exile.  Be a man, Georgie, and turn yourself in.

The interview also highlights that Oliver, a former television journalist, has made a number of incendiary and apparently at least one contradictory comment.  However the fact remains that since the beginning Zimmerman admitted shooting Martin.  Therefore if he is truly innocent, then he should be charged with a crime (murder, manslaughter, aggravated assault, criminal harassment or criminal menace, etc.) and our justice system will bring to light his innocence.  For the majority of Americans including myself, what I define as a crime did happen on the night of February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Florida.

To touch on race in America is a prickly topic.  There was a dream-like optimism for a day or so after Obama’s election that we have entered a post-racial society, but that idealistic notion dissipated like morning fog. We are still a society that is hung up on race. 

Here’s what I think Obama’s election let us finally realize and admit out loud: the specter of racism which embodied that idea that white people in power, who were bigots, suppressed and created obstacles for black men and women so that they would fail and only continue to proved the bigoted ideal of white superiority is a figment of imagination.  We open our eyes and see clearly that racism is the irrational and usually bigoted hatred, fear, distrust or general unease against someone who is not perceived to be of the same race and this tension is greatly exacerbated when one party has a significant amount of control, influence or power over the other.  This irrational train of thought empowers people to do heinous acts.

My build up is to say that a black man can be racist, an Asian woman can be racist, a Jew can be racist, a Latino Catholic can be racist and a mixed race (Peruvian and white) man who identifies as Hispanic can indeed be racist against blacks.  I’ve heard the 911 tapes from CNN and I do distinctly hear the word “f***ing” however, I cannot make out the second word of his profane interjection.  So I am not 100% confident that Zimmerman used a racial epithet, yet, for the sake of argument let’s say he did.  Identifying as a person of color doesn’t exonerate anyone from not being a racist.  Racism isn’t just for honkies anymore. 

That’s what I’m left with: a) Zimmerman should be in jail and b) we need to blow the lid off of the topic of racism in America and address why anyone has irrational and bigoted feelings against someone not of their own race.

myPics: A Boy and his Dad against the World

 

I love watching the bond between parent and child grow.  It's some pretty strong stuff and it's awesome: a boy looking up to his dad and the man being hopeful in the possibility for his child.  

I love the emptiness of this photo.  The beach, the ocean and its waves all run into the sky.  The almost too bright sun and its glare dominate the center of the picture.  But yet off to the left, there are Pete and Aidan - playing and walking into the surf.  I thought the pure love and innocence of it, before all the crazy dynamic of growing up, both of them are together, trusting and relying on each other.  They jaunt off into the sea with the hope and the promise that the overwhelming, expansive, beautiful but unknown world will hold no challenge for them that they can't overcome together.

Pollo en Escabeche

Pollo en Escabeche en HDR

I wanted to try an ethnic food that I haven’t made before, especially so I don’t get into the rut of always making bean or soup dishes in the slow cooker.  I started googling easy slow cook recipes and something caught my eye in the list: Latin America.  I think that this was a sign since I had read a Yahoo! article citing Uruguay as a great location to retire.  I continued searching and landed about this recipe to try, Pollo en Escabeche (Uruguayan Marinated Chicken). The best part of the recipe is that you can prep it at night and cook it while you sleep, then you refrigerate it while at work to maximize your time.

Escabeche originated in Mediterranean cuisine as dish of either poached or fried fish that is marinated in an acidic mixture before serving. Also, escabeche can refer to the marinade itself. As it was developed in Spain, the Spanish would also use chicken, rabbit or pork. Due to Spain’s colonial past, this version of escabeche is common in Latin America, Catalonia, Portugal, Provence and the Philippines. After the initial cook, the dish marinated in overnight or longer and served cold. The marinade is a simple mixture of garlic, herbs, oil and an acid, usually vinegar but can also include citrus juice (with the citrus it resembles a Cuban mojo.)

Finished in the slow cooker, off to chill

Pollo en Escabeche, from Food.com's Uruguayan Marinated Chicken

Ingredients:
6 lb of chicken, whole chickens or parts
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 carrots , sliced
3 garlic cloves , chopped
2 large onions , sliced
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried marjoram
18 whole black peppercorns
salt , to taste
1 ½ cps apple cider vinegar
½ cup olive oil

Directions:
1.    Cut the chicken into pieces, if not using parts and brown the chicken in olive oil in a heavy skillet over high heat, skin-side down first for 5 minutes then flip and cook for another 3 minutes.  Work in batches, if necessary.
2.    Place the browned chicken pieces in the slow cooker among the carrots, onions, garlic, herbs and spices; pour in vinegar and oil and cook on Low for 6-8 hours or overnight, until the chicken is done.
3.    Remove the ceramic bowl from the heat and allow coming to room temperature. After cooled, I suggest placing the chicken into a storage container to ensure that all the chicken is covered with the deliciously viscous marinade. Chill well in the refrigerator - at least 5 hours but better after 8 hours - and serve cold with a drizzle of the marinade.

I was very excited to try this dish, and as I allude the marinade is the key to the flavor. It is rich and thick, like a mojo, but still lightly floral from the olive oil and the cider vinegar makes

Not yet named travel entry: A wondrous weekend West

I spent a lovely weekend before my birthday in San Francisco where my fellow traveler and I went there to celebrate a friend's son's first birthday.

Party planning always includes a foray to the beach
(Aiden, Brigid and Hilary)

We knew that we would be heroes if we could figure out a way to get out to San Francisco for the little one's birthday.  When the save the date came out, about 6 weeks before the party, the airfares were outrageous - $400 round trip.  However I was determined to get there; I missed Brigid's (the mom) visit for Hilary's (the follow traveler) birthday in early February because of a long standing commitment in Killington, VT. So, I wanted to make things right with the world. 


I'm an avid fan of Airfarewatchdog. I've signed up for their alerts for many different trips: San Diego, Austin, Boston and always San Francisco. About 10 days before the party, an alert came through for  $248 tickets round-trip to San Francisco for the weekend on Delta. Within 30 minutes for getting the notice, I confirmed with Hilary that she still waned to go and bought the tickets.

Happy 1-year old baby faces.

We flew in on Friday afternoon and red-eyed home on Sunday.  We landed in time for a nightcap at our hotel, the Palace Hotel, on Market Street. (My home away from home in San Francisco.)  We made sure that we touched based with Brigid to help plan for the party.

San Francisco is always on my favorite places in the world, and during the first weekend of March this year, it was also incredible warm. Days were in the 70s, which meant, Brigid's mandatory evenings at the beach.  Not that it was any hardship.

The days were clear and sunny.  Such a treat for March in San Francisco!  We could see with our unaided eyes the Farallon Islands which are usually enshrouded in fog. As there was no weather approaching, just clear skies, we each took turns from assembling the cupcake picks and passed the binoculars among us to spy on the islands in better detail.

The Sunset is a great show at a birthday party

The party was such a fun event. It was a "one-year-old's birthday for adults," with grilled chicken and burgers and lots of local wine and beer. There were a handful of little ones to play with and plenty of grown ups to chat with. Our hosts were thrilled to have their house full of friends and loved ones, while the man of honor was a champ and held up though the party with aplomb.

One of the rare treats on a March day like this in the Outer Sunset was the ability to actually watch a sunset.  The western wall of the apartment is mostly windows, opening out to the houses behind and the beach beyond. Friends stood side by side to chat as parents held their kids u, all to watch the sinking golden drop melt into the sea at the horizon. Though I didn't capture it on film, we did see the green flash of lore.

The next day, I caught up with a college friend of mine who lives in the bay area.  We settled on Olea in Lower Pac Heights/Nob Hill for brunch before we ran down to the Mission for Ice Cream.  As I expect from San Francisco eateries, the food was sourced locally, organic and fresh.  The setting was a casual bistro and it was quintessentially Californian - like refined salt of the earth. In addition, they serve Blue Bottle Coffee - the only other coffee that I will drink in San Francisco outside of Peet's.

The moon in the East.

The next day's sunset.

After brunch, we walked back to the hotel to plan the rest of the day.  We were on a mission to go to the Mission, and it was all about ice cream. I would have been remiss if I didn't get some of my beloved Secret Breakfast from Humphry Slocombe. However, Brigid is a Bi-Rite devotee, and we needed an ice cream off to settle this.

My unofficial winner of the CaseyFest 2012 Ice Cream off

As we hop on the BART, Karen, my college friend, remembers that my birthday is upcoming, and turned our quest for ice cream into an impromptu CaseyFest celebration. We were going to get a pint of Secret Breakfast and a pint of Bi-Rite's Salted Caramel to bring back for the ultimate taste test. I had to sacrifice my El Farolito burrito this trip.  I would have been trying to pack 10 lbs of sugar in a 5 lbs sack.

After running around through the Mission, we head back to the Palace Hotel.  Brigid picked us up with all of our belongings and we return to the beach for a nice picnic celebration.  It is amazingly warm and we have crudité, hummus, olives and crackers while enjoying drinks.  It was a lovely afternoon spend with wonderful friends.  When the sun set this day, it got cold fast.  We returned from the beach and got ready for our trip out to the airport.  It was tough to have to start saying good bye when we had felt that we had just arrived.

Pete and Brigid were amazing hosts for our stay and Karen is always a good sport when I'm come to visit. This is what these trips are all about, seeing people you can about and spending that quality time in very uplifting local ways.  Everyone was on the beach because it was so lovely out, and we chimed right in. So I left a little melancholy, but I know that I'm only a six hour flight away from seeing everyone again. 

Hils & I on the beach

Karen & I on the beach

For more images from the weekend, please visit my facebook page.

myPics: "Everything's bigger in Texas"

During last weekend’s visit to Houston, I visited the San Jacinto Monument at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site.

Located near La Porte, TX, the over 567-foot high column commemorates the site of the Battle of San Jacinto, the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. It is the world's tallest monumental column.

The monument has an observation deck located immediately below the 220-ton star of Texas which offers northern, western and southern view including vistas of Houston and the USS Texas.

The San Jacinto Battlefield was designated a National Historic Landmark on December 19, 1960.

Texas Barbecue-Style Brisket for the Slow Cooker

For this week's Around the World in a Pot, I'm posting a recipe that I'm cooking as I post.  I won't be able to speak about the success of the pot until later tonight, which I will update you on. 

This weekend I was in Houston, which means that I can get H.E.B.’s Texas Tasters, Taco Cabana and Texas Barbecue. The first purchase was of Texas Tasters and my last meal was at Taco Cabana. However, the first meal that I ate was at Luling City Market. From their webpag, “[i]f you're looking for REAL Texas Bar-B-Que, you've come to the right place!” Yet, I was disappointed. It did fulfill my need for BBQ, but it didn’t satisfy my craving. The brisket was dried out and the barbecue sauce tasted mustardy – a tomato-based sauce but with a noticeable amount of mustard. It was good food, but not what I wanted nor expected.

Over four pounds of brisket left
in the slow cooker this morning

So I googled “Barbecue in Texas” and I should have known that there are regional varieties of barbecue. Two of which are East Texas Barbecue and Central Texas Barbecue, which translate for me as Houston versus San Antonio and Austin Barbecues. (There is South Texas Barbecue, but that’s more strictly along the Rio Grande.) Yet, I’m not well-versed in Texas Barbecue to know the exact differences and I don’t know if Luling is the standard East Texas Barbecue.

I yearned for the barbecue that I get in San Antonio and Austin.  That's what I think of as Texas barbecue.  Brisket and ribs slowly cooked over a fire of hickory, gaining those smoky, caramel notes of the fire that lightly and deliciously scratch at the back of your mouth. Then, the meat is finished off with a tomato sauce, naturally sweet and only slightly enhanced with brown sugar, and supplemented with the acid of vinegar and the additional brightness of some citrus. If I'm luck, there's a little bit of heat from a local chili powder and the savory garlicky notes hit my taste buds too.

I returned to Philadelphia without the tangy, tart and sweet but still always savory tomato-based barbecue sauce that I love topped over slow-grilled hickory-smoked brisket and ribs. I needed to find a way to change that. Again, I googled, “Slow Cooker Texas Barbecue,” and found a recipe, "Texas Style Beef Brisket - Slow Cooker". Now I know that it won’t be actually smoked or grilled, but I thought it was a better try than dried out brisket.

Yet, I wasn’t sure about the barbecue sauce in that recipe I have my own Dr Pepper Barbecue sauce and it’s a good sauce, however, I knew what I was missing – the taste of Central Texas Barbecue. Thanks to my friend, Laura, in San Antonio, I know of Rudy’s BBQ and it’s what I think of as a good Texas chain, centered around San Antonio, for barbecue. I took it a step further and googled “Clone Recipe Rudy’s BBQ Sause [sic].” I found this recipe which I stole from Chaos in the Kitchen. Since I didn’t get to sample any Rudy’s in Texas this trip (though I now know there’s a Rudy’s on US 290 in Houston, but I didn’t find that until I had some traffic getting to IAH and I was rerouted to the 610 loop) I can’t say that it is just like Rudy’s Sause. However in tasting it last night as I prepared it for today, it was in the vein of the taste that I was looking for in my barbecue sauce.

Again, I admit, it’s not grilled brisket, rubbed with seasonings and left for hours to cook and smoke, but I suspect that it will satisfy my craving for the Texas Barbecue that I know and love.

Texas Barbecue-Style Brisket, adapted from food.com's Texas Style Beef Brisket - Slow Cooker

The finished dish

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• ½ Tbsp paprika
• ½ Tbsp cayenne
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 4-6 lbs beef brisket
• ½ cp beef broth
• About 2 cps barbeque sauce (I used the homemade Rudy's Sause clone.)

Directions:

1. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the Worcestershire sauce, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder and black pepper; close the bag and shake well to mix.
2. Place the brisket in the bag, cutting the beef in half, if needed. Then, seal bag and turn to thoroughly coat brisket with seasonings; refrigerate overnight, turning the bag periodically.
3. Place beef into a slow cooker and add broth; cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until tender.
4. Remove brisket from the slow cooker and reserve one cup of cooking liquid, skimming the fat; discard any remaining juices.
5. In the slow cooked add the reserved juice and the barbeque sauce and mix well; return the brisket to the slow cooker.
6. Cover and cook on high for 30 more minutes to allow flavors to blend.

I'm home and I finally finished making the brisket.  It's not true barbecue, but it really satisfied my taste buds to no end.  I had some reserved Rudy's Sause clone and I topped the brisket with it and it sent me to the moon. Yum!

Wish List: Chasing the 8

In my family, there’s a running joke that there’s a transportation gene in the clan at large. Most of us who are directly related to the Ryan blood line have some fascination with modes of travel. Some love planes. Some love trains. One of us admits that boats are his passion. Family gatherings with my cousins always end up talking about trips to Shanghai, Rio and Paris as well as to San Francisco, Rochester and Providence. We type e-mails in airport codes, knowing where MSY, EZE and YUL are. We are familiar with AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) and the Interstate System, and know how to navigate three-digit spurs as well as three-digit US routes. Getting there is definitely half the fun for us.

Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park, formerly Yuma Crossing State Historic Park, in the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area

For me, I am energized by travel. I like taking a new road and being on an old familiar one. I am excited to get to the terminus of a route. When there’s a State Route 1, I have to know where it goes. The 101 is on my self-proclaimed songline.

Cactus in Arizona, near the junction of the 8 and the 10

After this introduction, you should understand my thought behind “Chasing the 8.” I would like to vacation and drive across Interstate 8 from Casa Grande, AZ to San Diego, CA. The 348 ¼ mile journey goes through the southern extremes of Arizona and California and the route itself has some of its own extremes, including the closest interstate to parallel the Mexican border (less than ½ mile), one of the widest medians of an Interstate (over 1.5 miles) and lowest above-ground elevation of an interstate at (52 feet below sea level)*. There are only 3 single digit Interstates in the system (the signed Hawai’i series and the unsigned Alaska series don’t count) and I’ve been on parts of the 5 (1,381 ¼ miles) and all but about 8½ miles of Interstate 4 (132 ¼ miles). I want one that I can conquer. (I wasn’t driving on Interstate 4 or else I would have driven into Tampa to check that off my list.)

Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá, location along the 8

Not only will I conquer my own interstate, I will fill a missing piece in my US map: the link between sea to shining sea. I have driven out to Joshua Tree National Monument in California from LA as well as taken the 8 to its end in San Diego form Chargers Stadium to Sunset Cliffs Boulevard onto Nimitz Boulevard. I had trek out from Phoenix, taking the Hohokam Expressway to the 10 and onward to Dallas via Las Cruces, White Sands, Alamogordo and Roswell, NM; and Odessa, Midland and Abilene, TX. Separately, I’ve journeyed from Atlanta City to Philadelphia and Philadelphia to San Antonio – meeting my two routes the junction of Interstates 20 and 35E. I have pieced together a cross country route, but yet I’m missing my own Golden Spike.

A map of US counties (click to expand): pink and purple represent my current work territories & purple and blue represent counties I've actually visited - the image comes from Marty O'Brien's Interactive Counties Map

I’ve been to the 8’s termini but never driven across. That makes my driving trip through Phoenix and Casa Grande, Sonoran Desert National Monument and Yuma, AZ; and El Centro, Cleveland National Forest, and El Cajon, CA to the end doubly enticing to me. I’ll have connected an interstate and have connected an transcontinental trip.

I know don’t know what I’ll actually see, but I’ll buy a lot of water for the voyage.

* The lowest point on the Interstate System is within the Fort McHenry Tunnel, Baltimore, Maryland, on I-95 at 107 feet below sea level.